Their Legacy
by DragonDroppings
Summary: What did they live for? Why did they die? Surely there was a reason. Surely it wasn't in vain. They were the strongest; the invincible. How could they just disappear? One-shot: a reflection on the passing of the Shinsengumi. Was it worth it? Was there purpose in their deaths?


The gentle burble of rushing water was the only sound that could be heard. The pond was centered in the middle of large, lush green garden. Tall white walls encompassed the area, wrapping all the way around the garden and traditional style house.

It was a peaceful place.

The smooth wood and fragile paper walls of the house were nicely accentuated by vivid, but controlled, array of flowers and plants growing purposefully around the pond. Richly colored koi, dappled with blacks and oranges, lazily glided through the pristine waters, swimming in casual circles. Far above, the sun spread fragile rays of light, warming the ground and casting rainbows over the water.

Beautiful.

_Worthless._

She lifted a hand to shield her sensitive eyes from the brightness, sleeves sliding down to her elbows. Her eyes traced the movements of the clouds, while her mind traced memories.

What point was there in beauty, if there was no one to appreciate it? She shifted her gaze away from the brilliant sky.

This garden had been created so that they might enjoy it. That was its purpose. It existed solely for them.

Rough, calloused hands clenched the earth.

Now that they were no longer here, the garden didn't have any reason to be. There was nothing left. Its pathways would never be walked, waters never be cleaned, and beauty never be marveled at.

_Never again._

It would fall to desolation. First the koi would begin to starve; beautiful scales dimming as the creatures became limp and weak. Then the plants would wither, and crumble into powder. The house would grow worn; cobwebs and creatures taking root within. The rooms would be covered by a thick layer of dust, eventually growing to be unrecognizable.

And no one would ever remember what it had been. There would be no one to even glance at it sadly and reflect on the days when it was alive and well.

She wouldn't remember, either. She was going to wither away with it.

A painful twinge bit her. That would not have been what they would've wanted. She knew, _she knew_, what they would have said to her.

"_Doesn't your life mean anything to you?! What are you doing, throwing it away?!"_

"_Get up. End this stupidity."_

"_So now you're just going to give up? Pathetic. I thought you were made of more than this."_

"_Are you an idiot?! You should be living till your last breath!"_

"_This isn't worth ending your life for. There's still a whole future out there for you."_

"_Don't cling to the past! Our lives are over, but you are still alive!"_

"_You're better than this."_

Her molars ground together. How dare they?! How dare they leave her behind and expect her to carry everything alone?!

How dare they let themselves die?!

They were supposed to be the strongest. The most courageous. _Invincible._

How dare they- how dare they?! She closed her eyes tightly.

"Have you ever thought about why we died?" Her eyes shot open. The world was a blurred mesh of colors and shapes. But she knew that voice…

She knew… There was no one else it could be.

There, as he had done so many times before, Heisuke was sitting comfortably on the ledge of the house. She could barely make him out, but somehow she knew his head was tilted back, watching the sky.

"Hei… Suke…?" The swirling figure of familiar hue stood and turned to her.

Was that… _A smile?_

She blindly reached out, but he was gone, dissipating like mist.

_Despair._

"None of us died empty deaths." A sword swished through the air. She spun around, seeing blues melting with blacks. Saitou was staring fixedly at her, serious eyes piercing her blurred vision. His hands guided his blade to its sheath, where it settled with a satisfied click.

"Saitou!" But he too vanished.

"You know us better than that," a cheerful voice exclaimed. Her defective eyes darted to the side, catching a glimpse of a tall figure, leaning against a tree. Their arms were relaxed behind their head, letting a long spear rest against their body.

_Sanosuke…_

"You underestimated us. We are the Shinsengumi!" There was the stern, scolding voice she knew. How many times had Hijikata rebuked her before? Yet it was also a voice that could be exceedingly kind.

"We would never die that easily!" Shinpachi was boasting again. It had never failed to make her smile before; she could almost see him flexing his muscles in pride.

"Enough! Please, just…" She buried her face in her hands.

"Did you really think we would give up our lives for nothing? I'm hurt by your lack of faith." She knew his voice well-he had been there from the beginning till the end. Okita the charmer, Okita the sarcastic, Okita the loyal and brave.

"Open your eyes." And then it was him. He was calling to her. He was hurting her, just by speaking.

"No!"

"`` Open your eyes." It wasn't once voice, it was six. It was a thousand. It was a million.

A blinding light was reaching for her, forcing her eyes open.

It was the voice of the Shinsengumi.

Great rivers fell from her eyes. She could see them; shinning brilliantly.

"It's alright," they called, "We had a purpose."

He reached his hand out to her, "We have a purpose." Her worn, shaking hands stretched for his.

"Do you know why?" She looked into his keen gaze. Those eyes which held so much passion and determination. Those eyes which she was never to see again.

"I… Do," her voice faltered and cracked.

He smiled gently, "I'm glad." His hands were warm around hers.

/

She brushed back her bangs with the back of her hand. The weather had grown even hotter recently; she could feel herself beginning to perspire.

That meant a lot more upkeep for the koi. Up until now, she had never taken care of fish, and she worried the hot temperatures would hurt them. Carefully leaning her broom against the wall, she stepped down the stairs to the pond.

The fish swam contentedly, some rising to greet her when they saw her, anticipating food. She thought to herself as she watched them bob, open-mouthed at the surface. They reminded her of a certain someone.

A small, genuine smile graced her face. More than just one someone, actually. She could remember them now…

There was an aching sadness, but it was accompanied by other feelings now. She understood.

"_Don't make our deaths meaningless. Live. Continue our story, so that it is not forgotten. Carry on our legacy."_

_**Just wanted to put this in. I just got back into Hakuouki, and was reminded just how painful it is. **__** But really enjoyed it. Anyway, please note; this is not necessarily from Chizuru's POV. I purposefully didn't put her name in there so the reader could interpret it how they want. And 'him' at the end. Could be any one of them. So I didn't put 'his' name in. See it as you want to see it. Could be Chizuru. Could be an OC. Could be another female character. You never know. **_

_**Also, this story isn't trying to say the Shinsengumi were actually there. In fact, I've read that some of them may have survived. So maybe the person is hallucinating? Dreaming? Or maybe they really came to see her? She could just be some half-crazed fan of theirs who snapped under the pressure of losing them. :p Pah. Just messing. But it really could be anything. ^^**_

_**I realize this is quite cheesy. I was just really in that zone after finishing the story. Listening to the soundtrack didn't help, either. ^^ I hope it isn't too much, and that you can still read. Just a little jab at something or other.**_

_**Dragondroppings**_


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